What's Your Philosophy?

They're not finished until they're shot.

I always think they're finished, but a few weeks later I'm always all 'What the hell was I thinking writing that?'

I reckon three stages of finishing:
1. Good enough to sell/option/attract director and finance and cast
2. Good enough to shoot
3. What appears in the post-script after the edit, which is the one everyone sees (hopefully).

I've written scripts that were good enough to get optioned. Then the option expired, and I've re-written them to be optioned again. Then THAT option expired, and I've re-written them to update some change in technology or news event that is relevant to the story.

This is why I say they're not 'finished' until they're shot - and then transcribed. They are always a work in progress.

PaulyWally said:

When writing a script, do you get to a point where your script is finished? Or you believe your scripts are never finished?

Click to expand...

The script, as such, isn't finished until the last version of the Director's Cut DVD comes out. Very often, even at that point, they're still rewriting dialogue, bringing in actors to do looping -- and that means that somebody is writing that new material long after the movie's been released and even after the original release of the DVD -- the thing is *still* being re-written.

Of course, the chances of the original writer actually being involved in the writing at that point are pretty slim.

NMS